Oswestry mother's asbestos fears

A CASTLEFIELDS resident is worried about the health of herself and her three children due to the threat of asbestos in her property.

Linda Mason, 47, lives in a council owned flat in Castlefields, Oswestry, but fears she and her children could be at risk after discovering there is asbestos in the property.

And Miss Mason feels she has not been getting the support and answers she is looking for from the council.

She said: “I just keep getting fobbed off. It all started about four and a half years ago and I’ve still not got any straight answers from the council.

“When my neighbour moved in four months ago, she had an asbestos report done. The results were sent back to her and it said that tenants should be advised about the asbestos.

When we asked the council about it they asked, “Who sent you that report?”, as if they didn’t want us to see it.”

Miss Mason was so worried about the affects it could have had on her over the years, she recently went for a chest x-ray and is currently waiting for the results.

She added: “If anything shows up, I’ll have to get all the kids tested.”

Angela Douglas, asset manager at Shropshire Towns and Rural Housing said: “The health and safety of our tenants and their homes is of paramount importance.

“We carry out regular checks on all our properties and communal areas, with various assessments for issues such as asbestos, and take all measures to remove it where it is appropriate and safe to do so.

“There are a number of properties in the Castlefields area that have been re-inspected for asbestos and we are currently awaiting the results. We have been in touch with the tenants involved and once the results are received, our contracts officer will discuss the implications and options with the tenants directly, to assure they fully understand the results and the properties are maintained to the highest standard.”

She added: “We can only carry out these essential safety checks if tenants allow us access to their homes. So I would ask all ST&R tenants to let our staff and contractors have access to their home when requested.”